Equality at the Faculty of Health Sciences
The Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics aims to be the best at equality and diversity
The department's local equality committee focuses on treating everyone with respect.
In today's Denmark, it should be a given, but not all workplaces in the country actively engage in the work of equality and diversity. However, at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, they are doing precisely that.
The department has set up a local equality committee led by head of department Jens Troelsen. Here, they discuss important issues such as equal pay between genders, gender distribution, career development, recruitment, and diversity.
- We've formed a committee where we meet roughly every other month and discuss how we can do better. Sometimes, there are things you overlook unless you see them through the lens of equality. That's why it's good that we're doing it. It ensures we treat everyone equally - and with respect, explains Jens Troelsen.
The work is partly based on recommendations from the faculty's equality committee (SUND LiU) and SDU's work on implementing the so-called "Gender Equality Plans" (GEP). However, there is room for many local adaptations within the individual units.
- We weren't forced to do it by any means, but we genuinely wanted to focus on it. It was truly a positive process, in my opinion. The committee comprises experienced individuals with an eye for both the VIPs and the TAPs, as well as younger members, ensuring a focus on the very early career stages. We've also received strong support from central management. So we didn't start from scratch but essentially had to figure out what suited our department and the culture we want to create, continues Jens Troelsen.
It pays off
It may seem like a lot with numerous meetings, various processes, and possibly some extra work, but at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, it is regarded as an investment in creating a better work environment and as a strategy to attract and retain top employees, explains the head of the department.
- By embracing differences, we naturally broaden our candidate pool. It's crucial that everyone feels seen and welcomed here, irrespective of gender, age, ethnicity, or educational background. This applies to both students and all staff, regardless of their roles: more diversity means more collaboration and a wealth of diverse experiences to draw from. One could say we are giving ourselves more options to work with.
At the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, the equality committee aims to ensure as equal representation as possible of administrative and scientific staff, both women and men, and employees of different age groups.
The commendable efforts in promoting equality have been acknowledged by SDU's Gender Equality Team (GET):
- Our experience with equality, diversity, and inclusion work at SDU indicates that a focused effort is necessary to yield results. It calls for initiatives tailored to meet local needs and adapted to the specific context. There are no quick fixes to address all the challenges we encounter. What the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics has achieved is exemplary, and their initiatives serve as an inspiration to other departments at SDU," says Liv Baisner Petersen, head of GET.
If your unit, like the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, is also dedicated to excelling in promoting equality, please feel free to reach out to SUND LiU.
Extract of the department's strategy and action plan:
- Monitoring of gender composition in all job categories and in management.
- Recording of composition in various councils and committees.
- Visibility of the value of diversity and equality in job postings.
- Ensuring equal pay for the same tasks.